It's been two weeks since YouTube TV customers have been able to watch any Disney movies. streaming channels including ABC, ESPN and the ACC and SEC networks. The Disney channel portfolio has been removed from YouTube TV Oct. 30, and there is no indication when the shutdown will end, despite the potentially devastating losses both companies are suffering.
On Thursday, Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Iger said his company is “working tirelessly” to reach a deal with YouTube “in a timely manner” and restore its channels to the platform.
“We're not trying to break new ground,” he said during the company's fourth-quarter earnings call. “It’s also critical that we make sure we agree to a deal that reflects the value we bring.”
The controversy that caused the outage of ABC and ESPN centers on the “carriage fee” that YouTube TV pays Disney to carry its channels. Disney has faced similar negotiating standoffs with other broadcasters in recent years, including the earlier YouTube TV shutdown in 2021 this was resolved in two days.
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Disney claims YouTube TV doesn't pay enough to stream its channels. YouTube TV, owned by Google, has most subscribers among all Internet television providers – more than 9 million. Disney-owned Hulu is second with 4.3 million subscribers thanks to its Hulu + Live TV offering.
“The deal we have proposed is equal to or better than what other major distributors have already agreed to,” Iger said Thursday.
While both sides argue over the fees, they risk further losses. According to a survey cited by the publication Diversity.
Meanwhile, Disney is losing about $30 million in revenue per week because its channels are not available on YouTube TV, according to a Morgan Stanley research note cited Diversity. That's a significant change as Disney's TV channels go dark on YouTube TV each week and Disney's adjusted earnings per share fall 2 cents, analysts said.
When will ESPN, ABC and other Disney channels return to YouTube TV?
Disney is no stranger to freight fee disputes, and as with previous disputes, negotiations are being kept under wraps and how long they will continue is anyone's guess. Disney's contract dispute with Sling TV in 2022 lasted only two days, and its conflict with Spectrum/Charter in 2023 was not resolved within 10 days.
Contract conflicts with Disney that arose in previous years were mostly resolved within a week or two, but Google has significantly more bargaining power than other platforms.
Thursday marked 14 days that Disney Channels were blacked out on YouTube TV, a day longer than last year's Disney blackout on DirectTV. How long the outage will last is unknown, but Morgan Stanley analysts, who estimated Disney's weekly losses at $30 million, expressed optimism, predicting the outage would be resolved later this week.
Once an agreement is reached between Disney and YouTube, the missing channels will be back “in a matter of hours,” Disney said. Diversity.
What are Disney and YouTube TV saying about the dispute?
October 30, YouTube TV published on X“Members, as we renew our contracts with network partners, we advocate for fair prices to offer you the best TV experience.”
“Google YouTube TV has chosen to deny its subscribers the content they value most by refusing to pay a fair price for our channels, including ESPN and ABC,” Disney said this in a statement to CNBC..
This was also in the memo for employees dated October 31 CNBC reports thisDisney accused YouTube TV of removing “previously recorded shows and events from its subscribers' libraries.”
“YouTube TV and its owner, Google, are not interested in reaching a fair deal with us,” Disney Entertainment co-chairs Dana Walden and Alan Bergman and ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in the memo. “Instead, they want to use their power and exclusive resources to eliminate competition and devalue the very content that helped them create their service.”
Disney is also asking its viewers to ask YouTube TV to resume streaming via keepmynetworks.com website.
Which Disney channels have been removed from YouTube TV?
Sports fans aren't the only viewers left behind by the loss of Disney channels from YouTube TV. Here are all the channels which have been removed from streaming service:
- ABC
- ABC News Live
- ACC network
- Baby TV Español (Spanish plan)
- Disney Channel
- Disney Junior
- Disney XD
- ESPN
- ESPN Deportes (Spanish plan)
- ESPNews
- ESPNU
- ESPN2
- Free form
- Forex
- FXM
- FXX
- local
- Nat Geo
- Nat Geo Mundo (Spanish plan)
- Nat Geo Wild
- Shopping center network
How can YouTube TV subscribers watch football games during the Disney shutdown?
YouTube TV subscribers with an overhead TV antenna can still watch Monday Night Football and college football games on ABC if they live close enough to receive an over-the-air signal from their local ABC affiliate.
Beyond that, the only real option for viewers who want to watch all the college football and basketball games this weekend, as well as Monday Night Football at home, is to subscribe to another service that carries ABC and ESPN, including ESPN+, Sling TV, Hulu+ Live TV, Fubo or DirecTV Stream.
Sling TV offers $5 day pass this could be a good option for spectators who want to watch one specific game, as well as a $10 weekend ticket that gets you both days of college football and basketball.
For those looking to find local football matches, this is a convenient application can help you find places that are showing games.
$20 credit for YouTube TV subscribers?
CNET received its own email from YouTube TV asking for a $20 credit.
YouTube TV has promised subscribers a $20 credit towards the streaming service if the Disney Channel blackout continues for an extended period, and on Sunday announced the streaming service details of this loan.
Some YouTube subscribers will receive the $20 credit automatically, while others will have to claim it online. Subscribers who pay through Google Play or the mobile service should automatically receive a $20 credit, according to a YouTube spokesperson.
If you need a $20 credit, you'll receive an email from YouTube TV this week. After you have received the email, follow these steps:
- Sign in to YouTube.com using net browser
- Click or tap your profile picture.
- Click or tap Settings.
- You can also directly navigate to the URL at https://tv.youtube.com/settings/service_updates.
- At the bottom of the menu on the left, select Updates.
- On the next screen that explains disabling Disney channels, click or tap the blue button labeled Get a loan.
Emails from YouTube TV started going out on Sunday evening and several Reddit posters have already reported receiving a $20 credit. According to the channel, all credits for YouTube TV subscribers must be issued by Wednesday, November 12. Diversity.
The $20 credit will be applied to your next billing cycle.
We asked YouTube if additional payment credits would be offered to subscribers if the outage continues. A spokesperson responded: “The situation is evolving and we will update subscribers with future additional credit offers. Our top priority is reaching an agreement that restores Disney content to YouTube TV.”
Correction, November 5.: An earlier version of this story did not mention that Sling TV day and weekend passes can only be used to watch local ABC affiliates in certain markets.
